AUSTIN, Texas -- Over the holiday weekend, the government released a report released on climate change.
• Additional 1,300 people could die each year due to rising temperatures in Texas alone
• Study contains more than 1,600 pages of research
In Texas alone, the report warns that an additional 1,300 people could die each year due to rising temperatures. The research suggests that rising sea levels could cost the economy billions of dollars. The study contains more than 1,600 pages of research and data on the effects of climate change nationwide.
"The report found that many people who work outside, construction workers, farm laborers, both will get ill from the extreme heat or may not be able to work at all which will have a big impact on the economy," said Luke Metzger with Environment Texas.
The hotter temperatures will cause crop yields to decline, and lead to wildfires consuming up to six times more forest area every year. Metzger said the dire warnings from the new report should be a wake-up call.
"And that means dramatically reducing our use of fossil fuels and switching over to clean energy like wind and solar power. Getting our vehicles off of gasoline and over to electric. Rebuilding our communities so we're not dependent on cars but can walk and bike and take public transportation places," said Metzger.
The report also warns that Texans should brace for more storms comparable to Hurricane Harvey that could increase in strength. Researched stated that rising sea levels could cost almost $21 billion in coastal property damage by 2030. Metzger said the new information is startling, but not necessarily surprising.
"Hopefully we have a federal government that takes it seriously and requires reductions in this pollution," said Metzger.
But the report, released by the White House, directly contradicts the President's own words and on Monday he said that he doesn't buy it.
"I don't believe it. No, no, I don't believe it," said President Donald Trump.
Texas Republican Party Chairman James Dickey said the US is leading the globe when it comes to carbon emissions reduction, and while that is true, according to a statistical review done by BP, the US still has the world's highest overall emissions.
Click the video link above to watch our interview with Jay Banner. He's a Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences in the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas, Director of the Environmental Science Institute and co-authored a portion of the national climate report.